Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by David Laws (Liberal Democrat). It was answered on Monday, 12 March 2007 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Freud Report

Question: If the Government are doing so well on welfare reform, why is the male employment rate in the United Kingdom now 10 percentage points below what it was under Harold Wilson, and why must we wait another six to eight years for David Freud’s proposals to be implemented?

Answer: There you have it, Mr. Speaker: the curmudgeonly voice of the Liberal Democrats. It is worth making the obvious point: we have never claimed that every problem has been solved, and it is clear from the Freud report that that is so. However, it would be futile and rather pathetic not to acknowledge the progress that has been made. The employment rate in the United Kingdom is now among the highest of all the developed countries in the world and is the highest for nearly 30 years. That is progress. I look forward to the day when the Liberal Democrats come here and celebrate that progress with us, although I suspect from the hon. Gentleman’s comments that that will be some time yet.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 458 c3
Session: 2006-07
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Welfare to work Welfare to Work Review Department for Work and Pensions Public expenditure Social security benefits Reform Unemployment
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk